While the airwaves are filled with the refrain “Mary did you know” the person of Mary, the circumstances of conception, and the nature of her child, Jesus, are sources of deep theological division.
- Evangelical Christians and Muslims agree that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. But Progressive Christians
and Jews reject that.
- Some Eastern Christians and Roman Catholics venerate Mary. But Protestant Christians and Muslims reject that.
- Evangelical Christians, Roman Catholic and Eastern Christians believe that Jesus is fully God and fully human, the God-man. But Muslims, Jews and some Progressive Christians reject that.
No wonder the world is confused about Christmas.
Mary
Many Christians are surprised to learn that Muslims revere Mary, the mother of Isa. In Islam, Maryam, is considered one of the most righteous of women. She is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran and the Quran gives Mary much more attention than does the Bible’s New Testament. But the Quran also explicitly rebukes the worship of Mary (Quran 5:116).
Virgin birth
Consistent with the teaching of the Bible, the Quran says that Jesus was born miraculously to a chaste and virtuous virgin by the will of God without a human father. The Quran and Bible also elevate Mary above all other women. But then the Quran and Bible diverge as the Quran states that neither Mary nor her son were divine. And while Christians agree that Mary is not divine, the divinity of Jesus is essential to the Christian faith.
Jesus
It seems that Muhammad was exposed to a perversion of Christianity wherein the Trinity (tri-unity) consisted not of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit but of the Father, the Son and Mary. Muhammad represents Christians worshipping Mary as the third member of the Trinity in Quran 5:116. Historically, there is no record of Mary being referred to as “mother of God” prior to the fourth century A.D. but Muhammad’s revulsion to the idea reflects his conviction that God has no offspring.
For the Christian, if Jesus is not divine then we are fools most to be pitied. If Jesus is not both fully God and fully man then He cannot fully satisfy the human need for redemption from both the power and penalty of sin. The Christian’s hope of a life worth living now, free from sin’s power, and the hope of a life with God forevermore, free from sin’s penalty in death, is dependent upon the nature of the baby born to Mary in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.
Understanding our own faith is essential. Understanding the faith of those who reject our faith is also essential.
So, in this Christmas season as you ponder what Mary did and did not know, ponder as well what you know about the baby born in Bethlehem.
How do you know what you know about Jesus and why do you believe what you believe?
6 Comments. Leave new
Yes, I know, none of the groups I refer to in this piece are monolithic in their beliefs. The point is to get people thinking about what they really believe about Jesus – and if their beliefs line up with the Truth. Clearly not all of these religions can be equally True if they proclaim different truths about Jesus. – Carmen
The other day I stumbled across an article on the Catholic website “Aleteia” that was written by a Jesuit priest who took serious exception to Catholics singing the Christmas song “Mary, Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry and Buddy Green. The link is below.
The article reminds us that on the subject of the Virgin Mary, Evanglical Christians have more in common with Muslims than we do with Catholics. This is an interesting read about what our RC friends mean when they talk about the Immaculate Conception.
https://aleteia.org/2015/12/09/the-problem-with-mary-did-you-know/
Muslims may believe in the virgin birth, but do not accept Christ as fully God and man. Muslims believe in works for salvation while true Biblical Elect Believers in Christ believe the blood of Christ washes away all our sins, past, present and future.
Agreed 100%. There is no question that huge irreconcilable differences exist between Christian and Muslim understandings of Jesus. The point of the post is to get people thinking about what they personally believe. An oddly high percentage of American millennials believe in the virgin birth while a disturbingly high percentage of Boomers do not. If so-called Christians don’t believe that Jesus is God how can we authentically share the good news of the hope of salvation in Him with Muslims and others?
Thanks for your comment…I hope that the seminaries will teach this doctrine with Faith in the Scriptures account. When I was in a Presbyterian Seminary which I studied , told the class that there was no truth in it..This the problem of PCUSA leadership which agrees with this believe first. Throughout these years in my ministry or even before my time, other false believes always come into existence and destroy the work of the church. My prayers are that 1. Members of the churches will study their Bible and believe and practice the WORDS daily. 2 The Lord will weed out these false teachers and administrators from seminaries , mission agencies, presbyteries, synods , Ga and local churches. 3 That the Presbyterian Church USA will return to full Faith and Trust in the Words of the Lord and that the Church will be healed from its sins and pride and corruption.
Just happened on this comment by accident. A 2013 Pew study showed non-belief in the virgin birth among boomers is roughly the same as with the previous generation, and that millennials are much less likely to believe in the virgin birth than boomers, or even GEN-X. From where is your information?